A waiting period for honoring elected officials — just in case

Elected officials would have to wait for five years after leaving office before seeing a public building or roadway named in their honor under a bill approved Monday by the Texas Senate.

Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, said constituent complaints prompted him to file Senate Bill 770, which would have to be approved by the Texas House and OK’d by Gov. Rick Perry before it could become law.

“Why not let a time period lapse? That way, no one can ever suggest — not that there is any impropriety – but no one could ever suggest that somebody had undue influence on a board or a committee naming a building or a road,” he said.

There also is the potential for the occasional officeholder to run into a bit of trouble.

Former Rep. Jim Solis and his wife exit the courthouse in Brownsville. Yvette Vela/Brownsville Herald/2011